Stosur at fault in another fall over

A SADLY familiar Australian Open fate has befallen Samantha Stosur, who lost control of her first-round match against Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig to lose in three sets. Stosur was a set and a break up against the reigning Olympic champion — even holding a match point in the secondset tiebreak — before falling 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes yesterday. The defeat was her third successive first-round loss at her home grand slam, continuing her Melbourne Park jinx. For the match’s first hour, Stosur was a picture of collectedness,edness, serving strostrongly and working Puig with her heavy topsptopspin game. Stosur’s Stosur serve was a key difference. feren The Queensland Qu er was s carcely p e n - e trable, hitting 13 aces and f ir ing p lenty more m that Puig Pu could not return. It wasn’t until ththe eighth game of the secondond set that tha Stosur gave up her first fir break points. points From there, she unravelled. Her temperament changed noticeably after she was bro- ken, appearing more anxious and talking to herself as if to massage those self-doubts.

A five-deuce game at 5-5 was another turning point with Puig denying Stosur several break points to hold serve before a tight second-set tiebreak.

The 33-year-old overcame an early mini-break to have a match point at 6-5 but played too tentatively, allowing Puig to level the match.

Stosur mistimed a forehand terribly on the baseline to hand Puig a break and a third-set advantage.

Down 5-3 and facing elimination, Stosur held serve to love in a timely confidence boost.

Stosur put down the slice backhand and began hitting again, with a huge down-theline effort that had those at Margaret Court Arena hopeful of a break to keep her alive.

But the former US Open champion didn’t win another point as Puig held firm to book a second-round date with bighitting Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

“It was an incredible fight . . . I want to congratulate the crowd for being such a great sport to Sam. She’s an amazing person,” Puig said to the parochial crowd after the match.

“I admire her so much. I was not even on the tour when I saw her playing. When she won her first grand slam I was rooting for her the whole way. “I’m very, very sorry.” Stosur won more points over the match — 99 to 98 — but didn’t have the composure in the key moments.